To say New Yorkers know from fine food is an understatement. So it stands to reason our pets would be just as finicky as we are, even when it comes to snacking. Gotham’s cats and dogs know mass-marketed Milk Bones or plain old Pounce treats just aren’t good enough.
There’s more than great taste at stake here. A palatable treat goes a long way toward training a companion animal to do what you want (i.e. sit, stay, lie down, perform amusing tricks). And clever pets have us well trained to seek out only the tastiest treats.
But doling out too many rewards can pack on pounds – so, just like human snack manufacturers, animal-cracker companies are dutifully counting calories. Yes, the new breed of gourmet treat is long on taste and low on fat.
Some are so wholesome and fragrant, they might be mistaken for human snacks – like Fanny Wag, the wheat-free vegetarian dog biscuits sold at Sag Harbor’s Sylvester & Co. ($8.99 per pound, in a vacuum-sealed package).
Fanny Wag is also the name of store owner Linda Sylvester’s “one of a kind” dog (a.k.a. mutt), a fine-food aficionado rescued from the nearby Animal Rescue Fund (ARF) Shelter.
“Now she’s the CEO of her own cookie company,” Sylvester says with a laugh.
Since the product was introduced almost a year ago, response has been so positive that Sylvester & Co. is adding two more flavors, peanut butter and cheese, within the next two weeks. (To order, call Sylvester & Co., [877] 725-5012.)
New York animal lovers are venturing even further afield to acquire gourmet edibles for their four-legged friends.
Harry Barker is a dog-supply company based in Savannah, Ga. – but they do a brisk mail-order business with New Yorkers who’ve fallen hard for low-fat, home-baked Bird Dog Biscuits in two flavors: Chicken & Rice and Cheese Grits.
The biscuits are made with ingredients like pearled barley flour and whole egg and are packaged in half-pound metal canisters ($7) so attractive, they make excellent holiday gifts. The company also offers peanut butter biscuits packaged in gorgeous, airtight, one-pound glass jars imported from France ($12). (Harry Barker, [800] HI-HARRY, [800] 444-2779, or http://www.harrybarker.com)
Closer to home, at the West Village’s Fetch, owner Alex Kealey reports that one dog treat has attained best-seller status: Bow Wow Botanicals ($11 for a package of 45 biscuits) are cookies that combine crunchy good taste with nutraceutical ingredients (to wit: glucosamine-enhanced Jumpin’ Joints for dogs with joint problems). (Fetch, 43 Greenwich Ave., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, [212] 352-8591)
For customers of the feline persuasion – whose taste buds tend to be even more discerning than those of their canine-connoisseur counterparts – the Terence Conran Shop features Kitty Calamari and Popcorn Shrimp ($8 for 3 ounces), both products of a company called Baxter & Charming, which promises “the squid and nothing but the squid.”
These cat treats could easily pass as bar snacks at the super-trendy eatery Mary’s Fish Camp, and they come in colorful boxes so appealing, you may have to hide them from your hungry two-legged guests. (Terence Conran Shop, 407 E. 59th St., at First Avenue, [212] 755-9079)
Along those fishy lines, the TriBeCa store Dudley’s Paw offers tiny fish-shaped treats called Haute Feline ($12.98 for 12 ounces). (Dudley’s Paw, 327 Greenwich St., between Duane and Jay streets, [212] 966-5167)
Meanwhile, Fetch features Cape Cod Cat’s Salmon Jerky, irresistible morsels of freeze-dried fish ($6 for a 1-ounce tin). Don’t let the small size fool you; a little goes a long way.
“It’s really potent stuff,” Kealey promises.
It would have to be: New York cats expect nothing less.
